Donald Trump gets the reputation in liberal quarters of being a “crass bigoted bully with a narcissistic personality disorder and policy views bordering on gibberish.” After a week in Washington watching him on TV, I wouldn’t take much issue with that sentiment.

That said, if his views are gibberish, they’re more in tune with global trends than his critics perceive. Like Trump, many of the world’s most powerful leaders and would-be leaders depend upon populist-nationalist strategies to sustain their influence and cow their critics.